Asia-Cast

Asia Cast for Tuesday 10th February

In this bulletin …

-CCTV head quarters building burns in Beijing;
-China submits rights record to UN; and
-Vow to re-build fire-hit Australia.

But first here is our SOH focus on China

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As reported by the Epoch Times, part of China Central Television’s (CCTV) new headquarters building in Beijing went up in flames on Monday,

After the incident, multiple major media in China published reports, but rapidly removed them from their main website and replaced them with the report from Xinhua.

Mr. Han Wen, a famous writer in China says that this is because they all received orders from ‘the top‘ ordering each website to use the Xinhua version instead.

State-controlled media Xinhua, CCTV, and China Daily offered their own versions of the incident, claiming that the building on fire was the Mandarin Oriental Hotel adjacent to the main CCTV tower.

At the outset, one death has been reported.

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China has submitted its first report on its human rights record for review by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

A three-country panel will review the report, and recommendations will be made by Wednesday.

Though China does admit that it faces serious challenges, the document they submitted focuses on improvements brought about by economic development.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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After the worst bushfires in its history, Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has vowed his country would rally together to rebuild the damaged areas.

MPs where told by Mr. Rudd that areas devastated by bushfires would be rebuilt “brick by brick” and “school by school.”

As the operation to recover bodies continues, the death toll so far is 173, but still is expected to rise significantly.

A specialist police unit has been set up to track down arsonists blamed for some of the fires, which Mr. Rudd has described as “murder on a grand scale.”

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A “safe haven” for militants in Pakistan’s tribal region bordering Afghanistan will not be allowed, US President Barack Obama has said.

Mr. Obama’s comments came at his first White House prime-time news conference, as his envoy to the region, Richard Holbrooke, arrived in Pakistan.

On Tuesday, key meetings began with Mr. Holbrooke, who said he was there to “listen and learn” about the region.

Mr. Holbrooke earlier said the situation in Pakistan was “dire.”

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In the eastern Indian state of Bihar, ten policemen have been killed in an attack by Maoist rebels. Three other people were also injured in the attack.

More than 200 rebels attacked security forces deployed at a religious function in the Nawada district.

The rebels also took away a number of police weapons.

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According to BBC News, a former Taiwanese first lady has, in a high-profile corruption case, pleaded guilty to money-laundering and forgery but denies embezzlement charges.

Wu Shu-chen said she did not accept a bribe as alleged by prosecutors, but had accepted a $2.2 million political donation in connection with a land purchase deal.

It is also stated, that she denies using the money for personal gain, though admits to charges of forging documents in a separate case.

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And now for our Divine Performing Arts quote of the day
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At the Minneapolis DPA Show on the 9th of February, our local reporter, Corrine Malaske asked Michelle Brown, who is a financial accounting Manager, what she thought of the performance:

“I like all the colours, and the dancing is amazing.”

Experience the magnificence of ancient Chinese culture.

To find out when the show will be coming to your local city visit www.divineperformingarts.com

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“Asia Cast … Keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the world.”